Well it has been a long sabbatical from my blog. I just have not been able to put words together.
That time has come to an end. There has been lots going on in my life that a good dose of blogging could help me obtain more clarity. The typical go to for me is using my cooking and baking as the greatest (almost greatest) form of therapy. Its been a time for skipping the writing about life and food and just baking and posting photos for all to drool over. Being back in a restaurant kitchen takes tons of otherwise free time that used to be spent blogging. The upside to being back in the industry is it has added tons of new things to the brain to blog about. For the last few months the project at hand has been making the next to perfect apple pie and southern chocolate pie, yes just like the one from "The Help", minus the icky stuff. So, it is clear that this is my return post to the cyber world; Pie. Apple. Chocolate.
The pie baking began, oh about late July. It was when I unexpectedly found myself unemployed. It was a tough one. Once again I was floundering. I really thought I had found the "it" place for me. I loved my little job in Pungo. I thrived on the people; baking and making things that they could not do with out. It was heart breaking when they told me they had to close their doors. I needed to find that one thing to occupy my mind, to challenge me. I have never been much of a pie eater, thinking it was more of a special occasion dessert. Well that attitude had to go. In the spring a lovely customer encouraged me to enter the Virginia State Fair baking competition. That very thought has been on my bucket list all year. Apple Pie. Everyone loves a good apple pie. All of the love for this pie makes taking it on for such a competition intimidating. Just what the Doctor ordered, My Therapy!
The first step you might think in making this pie is the crust. Nope, not the way I go about it.. My first step is the apples. I pick 6-8 medium to large apples. I use Pink lady and Fuji apples. For me this gives the right bite, taste, and tang to the pie. I hand peel the apples and core and slice them with a paring knife. I like the control of making the slices the same thickness, about a 1/4 inch. I do not believe you can do that with the snappy peeler, corer, slicer contraption. I keep it old school like my Nana would have done.
Once the apples are peeled and sliced I toss them with the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon. Then I mix, 2T flour, 2T cornstarch, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, spice blend (11/2t cinnamon,1/2 t ginger, 1/4 t allspice, 1/4 t salt). This mixture is blended and then you toss the apples until coated. Allow them to sit while you prepare your crust. Here is my reason for setting them aside; I recently discovered that if you allow the apples natural juices to macerate with the sugar and starch it produces a fine amount of liquid that can be turned into yummy thick pie caramel with the addition of some butter and heat. More on this step after we go over the crust prep.
Pie Crust made easy
6 cups All Purpose flour
That time has come to an end. There has been lots going on in my life that a good dose of blogging could help me obtain more clarity. The typical go to for me is using my cooking and baking as the greatest (almost greatest) form of therapy. Its been a time for skipping the writing about life and food and just baking and posting photos for all to drool over. Being back in a restaurant kitchen takes tons of otherwise free time that used to be spent blogging. The upside to being back in the industry is it has added tons of new things to the brain to blog about. For the last few months the project at hand has been making the next to perfect apple pie and southern chocolate pie, yes just like the one from "The Help", minus the icky stuff. So, it is clear that this is my return post to the cyber world; Pie. Apple. Chocolate.
The pie baking began, oh about late July. It was when I unexpectedly found myself unemployed. It was a tough one. Once again I was floundering. I really thought I had found the "it" place for me. I loved my little job in Pungo. I thrived on the people; baking and making things that they could not do with out. It was heart breaking when they told me they had to close their doors. I needed to find that one thing to occupy my mind, to challenge me. I have never been much of a pie eater, thinking it was more of a special occasion dessert. Well that attitude had to go. In the spring a lovely customer encouraged me to enter the Virginia State Fair baking competition. That very thought has been on my bucket list all year. Apple Pie. Everyone loves a good apple pie. All of the love for this pie makes taking it on for such a competition intimidating. Just what the Doctor ordered, My Therapy!
Baking Apple Pie
The first step you might think in making this pie is the crust. Nope, not the way I go about it.. My first step is the apples. I pick 6-8 medium to large apples. I use Pink lady and Fuji apples. For me this gives the right bite, taste, and tang to the pie. I hand peel the apples and core and slice them with a paring knife. I like the control of making the slices the same thickness, about a 1/4 inch. I do not believe you can do that with the snappy peeler, corer, slicer contraption. I keep it old school like my Nana would have done.
Once the apples are peeled and sliced I toss them with the freshly squeezed juice of a lemon. Then I mix, 2T flour, 2T cornstarch, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, spice blend (11/2t cinnamon,1/2 t ginger, 1/4 t allspice, 1/4 t salt). This mixture is blended and then you toss the apples until coated. Allow them to sit while you prepare your crust. Here is my reason for setting them aside; I recently discovered that if you allow the apples natural juices to macerate with the sugar and starch it produces a fine amount of liquid that can be turned into yummy thick pie caramel with the addition of some butter and heat. More on this step after we go over the crust prep.
1T. fine sea salt
2 cups vegetable shortening
- Measure flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut shortening onto the flour
- Work the shortening into the flour using clean hands. (some may choose to use a pastry blender here but I need the feel of the flour to be sure Te shortening is evenly distributed.)
- Rubbing the flour and shortening together as you slide it through the palms of you hands.
- When the flour and shortening resemble sand with a few pebbles you are ready to add enough ice water to pull the dough together.
- I make this flour and shortening mixture and store it in my refrigerator. When I need a double pie crust I measure out 2 1/3 cups into a mixing bowl, create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add 1/2 cup ICE cold water (place it in the freezer at the very start) and toss it with a fork until it masses together. At this point if it is not massing sprinkle with additional cold water, no more then 1 T at a time until it forms a mass.(*Note: for a single crust pie measure 1 1/2 flour and 1/3 cup ice cold water)
This is what your flour should look like after adding your shortening
Apple Pie Filling
6-8 Apples (Fuji and Pink Lady)
2 T flour
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Sugar
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t allspice
2-3 T sweet cream butter
- Now is the time to drain the apples of the luscious caramel to be. Pour it right into a small sauce pan. Add 2 T butter and allow to come to a simmer and thicken.
- Layer apple slices in the bottom of the crust in a circle evenly building the inside of the pie. You can never have enough apples because they shrink as the bake so use them all.
- Now roll out the second layer of crust, not quite as large as the bottom and a bit on the thin side. Just a few inches off center create steam holes'; you can use small cookie cutters or make a design with your paring knife.
- Before adding the top crust pour the thicken caramel apple-y juice liquid over top of the apples evenly. Cover with top layer of crust and begin to seal the edges. I like to take the under layer and first fold it over the bottom layer. Then I go around the crust and pinch knuckles just as my Nana did.
- After sealing the crust is complete I like to brush the top of the pie with an egg yolk and milk then sprinkle it with Turbinado sugar. Its fancy that way.
- The pie will bake for 45-55 minutes in a Preheated 350 oven. If it is a convection oven I would set the temperature to 325 and fan on low.
The apple pie of your dreams.
As promised here is the recipe for southern Chocolate pie like Minnie made, almost, in The Help. This was a request I have had often from friends near and far. Yummy chocolate pie. You see, I pole all my friends for the best pie and well these were the two that I have made over and over. In fact every time I post a picture someone else asks me to bake them one.
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup White
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted until smooth
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
1 small can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
1 T vanilla bean paste
2 T Kahlua
1/4 cup flour
Pinch of salt
Dough for Single Pie crust
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients except the crust into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and pour into prepared pie crust and pan.
- Place pie into oven and immediately decrease temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set. Let pie cool and serve with fresh whipped cream.
This is special and warm and silky. Just they way it should be.
Well thank you all for indulging me and reading my blog. The months, who am I kidding, years since my last post have not gone by wasted. I have gleaned tons and tons of new material to share with those familiar and unknown to me that are reading my blog. How about Gluten Free baking? Bread? Where will I wander next?
